The most common reading of the film is that it's about child abuse, heavy fare for a difficult movie but my own experience with Skinamarink had to do with another sense of powerlessness: that of childhood fear of the Rapture.

As an experimental horror film, Skinamarink doesn't have a definitive answer for what happens to Kevin and his family, leaving only little hints pointing to the story's true meaning. Since Kevin fell down the stairs and hurt himself, all the paranormal things occurring afterward may just be in his injured head.